These chicken fries are beyond delicious and so simple to make!
If you’ve never made chicken fries before, your life is about to change for the better. These specific chicken fries are awesome because they only require simple ingredients, they’re super easy to make, and you’ve got a couple of different cooking options too. Follow me…
How to prepare Chicken Fries
We’ll begin by slicing chicken breasts into long strips. You want the strips nice and skinny (i.e. like chicken ‘fries’). Try to get them all to an even thickness, not only so they look alike, but so they all cook at an even rate.
Crispy Chicken Fries
To really get these fries crispy, we’ll be coating them in a combination of flour -> egg -> breadcrumbs. Specifically, we’ll be using Panko (a Japanese breadcrumb) that you’ll find in nearly all supermarkets. I also like to add some Parmesan for a boost of flavour and to ensure they come out extra crispy.
The flour can easily be mixed straight in with the chicken strips, but from there, they really need to be coated separately. A few at a time is fine, so long as each of the strips gets properly coated. To prevent mess, I recommend allocating a ‘wet’ hand and a ‘dry’ hand.
Process shots: slice chicken (photos 1&2), coat in seasoning (photo 3), coat in flour (photo 4), coat in egg (photo 5), coat in Panko, Parmesan and seasoning (photo 6).
How to cook Chicken Fries
To cook the fries, you have two options:
Pan Frying
- Positive: The quickest and crispiest option.
- Negative: More hands-on and potentially more mess. Also, more oil is needed so less healthy.
Air Frying
- Positive: Minimal oil needed and healthier. Also, much less hands-on.
- Negative: Not quite as crispy as pan-frying and more time-consuming.
Because the fries are so skinny, if you bake the fries, the meat will almost certainly overcook before the outside gets properly crispy. As such, I don’t recommend baking the fries.
How to serve Chicken Fries
Just like regular fries, I typically go in with a good pinch of salt at the end. These are perfect for gatherings, such as Game Day, Parties or even as a snack for Movie Night with friends! One thing that is non-negotiable is a dip. Besides ketchup, here are some of my favourite options:
- Nugget Sauce (pictured below and in video below)
- Ranch
- BBQ Mayo
- Sweet Chilli Mayo
- Sriracha Mayo
- Blue Cheese Dip
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for these chicken fries shall we?!
How to make Chicken Fries (Full Recipe & Video)
Chicken Fries
Equipment
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board (for slicing chicken)
- Small Bowl (for seasoning)
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl (for coating chicken)
- 2 Large Shallow Dishes (for dredging chicken)
- Very Large Baking Tray (for resting coated chicken)
- Large Pan & Tongs or Air Fryer (for cooking chicken)
- Paper Towels/Kitchen Roll (for resting chicken)
Ingredients
Chicken Fries
- 450g / 1lb Chicken Breast (see notes)
- 50g / 1/3 cup Plain Flour
- 2 large Eggs, beaten
- 100g / 3.5oz Panko Breadcrumbs (see notes)
- 40g / 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (see notes)
Seasoning
- 2 tsp Paprika
- 3/4 tsp EACH: Salt, Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp EACH: Garlic Powder, Onion Powder
Cooking options
- 240ml / 1 cup Vegetable Oil, or as needed (if frying)
- Oil Spray (if air frying)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the seasoning and place to one side.
- Slice the chicken breasts into very thin strips (around 1cm/0.4") and add to a large mixing bowl with half of the seasoning mixed in. To the right of the bowl, place a large shallow dish with the beaten egg, then to the right of that, place a large shallow dish with the Parmesan, Panko and remaining seasoning combined. Finish with a very large baking tray at the end, ready for the fries to rest.
- Mix the flour in with the seasoned chicken until full coated, then take a strip, coat it in the egg, then the Panko, then place on the tray. This can be tedious, but think of the crispy goodness in the end. You can do a few at a time, just make sure each strip is thoroughly coated at each stage.
- To Fry: Pour enough oil to comfortably fill the base of a large pan and place it over medium-high heat. Once hot (you're aiming for 180C/350F – a breadcrumb should rapidly sizzle), space out a batch of the fries and fry for 1 1/2 – 2 minutes each side until golden and crispy. They should be pretty thin so the meat won't take long to cook. Remove and place on kitchen roll/paper towels and repeat with remaining fries, topping up with oil and bringing back to temperature as needed.
- To Air Fry: Space out the fries, liberally spray with oil, then cook at 200C/400F for 8-10 minutes, or until golden and crispy. Again, they should be pretty skinny, so the meat shouldn't take long to cook. You will likely need to work in batches.
- Serve up and enjoy with your favourite dip. Check for saltiness and serve with extra sprinkled on top if needed.
Video
Notes
Your Private Notes:
Nutrition
Looking for more?
You’ll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’
For more similar recipes check out these beauties:
